Up To My Hubcaps
by DoubleEdgeSword72
Summary: Sometimes... it can only take one little mistake to change your view on life completely... RaineDoc fatherdaughter bondage


Up To My Hubcaps –The Ravens Revenge

Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat, DO NOT own the characters from Pixar's latest film Cars! I only own my personal character, Raine Hudson!

Footer/warning: Father/Daughter bonding ahead. Also, if you notice that this fic contains some similar writings from Maji's story series, I managed to tweak the words so that y'all won't gang up on me about it!

Reminder: NO FLAMES WHATSOEVER!

Also, I would like to give a huge thank you to my friend, Maji, who was more than happy to help me make this story flow evenly. Thank You!

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The small, black Mustang slowly awoke to the cheerful twittering of mountain bluebirds as the sun attempted to break through the overcast sky, causing its rich, golden rays of sunlight to pour out from the heavens and onto the asphalt road. The tiny rays of light shot through the clinic windows, illuminating the office with a soft glow.

She blinked her amber eyes sleepily as she stared blankly towards the clock that hung on the wall above one of the examination lifts. Yawning softly and giving her frame a satisfying stretch, she drove silently towards her father to wake him up.

Doc Hudson was snoozing peacefully under the warm sunlight that shone through the windows, oblivious to the sounds of nature and the commotion that was going on throughout the town. Raine smiled sweetly before rolling up to the old car and leaned against him.

Doc stirred and opened his eyes halfway for a brief moment, catching a glance at the young Mustang beside him before closing them once more.

"Hey Raindrop…" He muttered sleepily with a smile, "Mornin' already?"

Raine nudged his fender gently, trying to encourage him to at least open his eyes.

"…Few more minutes, sweetie…"

She frowned slightly in concern. Doc was usually up and about at this hour. But he had been practically up all night, attending a medical conference that lasted until about four in the morning. He probably didn't even have the energy to rise on his tires by now.

Maybe a full tank would get him up…

"Doc, do you want me to pick up somethin' for you at Flo's? You didn't eat anything since last night…"

The cobalt Hudson paused for a moment, he could already feel the slight rumbling of hunger in his fuel tank. "I'll have the usual… other stuff messes with my tank something fierce."

Raine nodded with a relieved smile, "Sure thing. Just get some rest, okay?" She nuzzled against him as Doc sunk low on his shocks, falling asleep once more.

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"Well good mornin', Raine!" Flo greeted as the black Mustang drove towards the station, a smile gracing her features as she set a can of oil in front of Sarge.

"Mornin'" Raine offered, a slight chuckle given. Sarge hadn't even noticed; more intent on arguing with Fillmore over something that could've been absolutely pointless. The topic of the so-called "discussion" currently seemed to be about Fillmore's opinion on the blinking yellow traffic light just above their heads.

Raine quietly tuned them out, instead turning her attention to the overcast skyline after giving the show car Doc's order. She rolled back slightly in her stall as a cold breeze hit her frame, making her shiver slightly.

"Better get a fire goin'…" She mumbled to herself, wincing as another freezing gale swept through the small café. Even though Radiator Springs usually had an arid, desert climate, it had its fair share of temperatures that dropped tremendously fast in early November up until late March; which was also the cause for the heavy rainstorms that ran through the winter months.

But Raine didn't mind the cold, gloomy weather like the other residents did. She often found it to be a perfect season to unwind from the seemingly endless flow of patients, phone calls, and paperwork. It was an excellent time to curl up near the fire with a quart of oil and a good book.

Flo returned shortly with a can of premium fuel as Raine quietly paid and thanked her before heading towards the small town clinic.

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Raine carefully pushed a tire through the clinic doors, bringing back with her a quart of the strong smelling oil that was required to make Doc somewhat less drowsy in the morning. Settling down next to the old Hudson Hornet, who was still in a deep slumber, she nudged his left fender gently. Doc finally opened his eyes fully, catching the scent of Flo's famous fuel nearby.

"Hey you're finally up. I brought breakfast over for you." Raine greeted as she nudged the can of oil towards him.

Doc couldn't help but smile, "You know me too well, Raindrop…" He let a yawn escape as he rose slightly on his tires, rolling slowly towards the can.

Raine smiled back before turning to the fireplace and setting a couple of logs in, setting them ablaze. She seemed to sink on her shocks in content as she quietly watched the flames dance on the firewood.

Doc chuckled quietly as he took a few tired sips of his fuel. He turned his tired gaze to the gloomy weather outside the safety of the clinic that hung over like a morbid warning.

"Winter's comin' pretty quickly this year…" He mumbled. "I have a feeling that we're goin' to have a lot of cold and flu patients soon…"

Raine nodded slowly with a sound of agreement as she stoked the fire a little, hoping the flames would quickly warm up the room without any trouble.

Doc nudged the can aside after finishing off his breakfast and stretched his axles slightly, feeling instantly rejuvenated by the fresh energy that now flowed through his engine. He smiled warmly towards his daughter.

"Raine… why don't you take a break for a few hours. I'm goin' out to the Butte to work with Lightning. That rookie needs to get into shape for the upcoming season…"

Raine smiled and kissed him on the fender, "Just be careful out there. I don't want to be repairing your dents all mornin'."

Doc laughed heartily, "Now don't you worry your little hood about me. I'll be fine."

With one last goodbye, the cobalt Hudson rolled quietly out of the clinic and into the morning air…

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The brilliant deep gold light of sunset fell across the plain, the heat of day just starting to dissipate with the setting of the sun in the west.

Doc idly observed the crimson stock car as he sped around the make shift track of Willy's Butte, twitching his side-view mirrors impatiently every so often.

"Pull up!" He suddenly called, silently waiting as Lightning pulled to a stop in front of him. "You tired?" He questioned, studying Lightning for a moment.

"A little…" The red racecar muttered, panting softly from his vigorous workout.

Doc nodded a bit, staring at the track for a few seconds. "Alright… let's head back. We can try again tomorrow." He offered, hopping down from his rocky perch, drawing a nod from Lightning.

The stock car quietly pulled up alongside of Doc, rolling slowly beside him as they headed back towards town.

"…You don't think I'm gonna be ready anytime soon, do you?" He questioned as they drove on, pulling a sigh from Doc.

"I think you could be. It'll just take some time," He smiled. "Trust me, kiddo. You'll do great."

Lightning smiled a bit and nodded, "Thanks, Doc…"

Both cars drove through the sagebrush flats when they were startled by a loud buzzing sound.

"What in the name of Chrysler…" Doc turned sharply towards the direction of the noise.

The buzzing stopped suddenly…

"…What the hell was that?" Lightning questioned, a bit shaken from the loud sound.

Doc frowned, "Probably just a locust…"

But the buzzing started up again as the Hudson rolled backwards a bit.

Like a flash of lightning, a rattler struck him in the chassis without warning; blurred as a shadow.

The old car drew in a pained breath as he felt the needle-like fangs sink into his side. Doc staggered backwards with a cry of pain. He looked down and saw the mottled serpent in front of him lift its head, knee-high. He heard the rattles hum furiously, its body coiled in a warning posture.

"Doc! What's wrong?!" Lightning's eyes widened as he saw the rattlesnake a few inches away from Doc.

"…He got me…" The older car stared dully at the two puncture wounds in his side. A drop of oil oozed from each.

Doc paled slightly, "Ol' Death's goin' to get me now…" He drew in a shaky breath as he felt the searing venom flow through his systems. He collapsed on his tires in pain. "Lightning… go get Raine…and call an ambulance…please hurry…"

The red racecar didn't even hesitate for a second and immediately dashed towards the clinic.

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"Raine! RAINE!!!" Lightning yelled as he burst through the clinic doors.

Raine looked up from the book she was reading, "Lightning? What's going on? What's with all the—"

"It's Doc! He's been bit by a rattlesnake! We need to get him to a hospital!"

Raine's eyes widened, but she kept herself professionally calm. "Lightning. Listen to me _very_ carefully: I need you to go get Sheriff. Tell him that we have a code twenty-six, and meet me at the Butte."

"Code twenty-six, at the Butte, got it!" He spun around to leave and then paused, "Uh… what's a code twenty-six?"

"Go! NOW!" the Mustang yelled as she sped off.

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When Lightning gave Sheriff the message, the old patrol car immediately called for the paramedics.

"Code number twenty-six: Snakebite victim." He explained after hanging up the phone, "A bit rare for this time of year, but it's also the time of month when them rattlers go ta hibernate near town." Sheriff turned towards the red stock car, "The hospital's sendin' out an emergency crew as we speak. I believe they're at the next exit up, an' that's not even a mile, so it'll only be a few minutes. In the meantime, we better go catch up with Raine."

Lightning gave a solemn nod before following the police cruiser out to the Butte.

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Raine tried to keep herself from panicking as she watched Doc lay on the ground, giving out short, ragged breaths. The venom was already starting to take effect pretty quickly. Lightning tried to comfort the teenage car as they watched the old Hudson Hornet being loaded into a large ambulance.

One of the paramedics sighed, "We'll get him to the trauma room as soon as possible, but he looks pretty bad. Y'all can follow us back to the hospital. We'll provide escort."

"Thank you…" Lightning nodded in thanks as Raine cried into his side. "He'll be okay, Raine… He's too stubborn to give up now… he's a fighter."

Raine tried to calm down as she sniffled, "I know… I just hope it's not too late…"

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The waiting game… she hated it. Raine sighed heavily and closed her eyes for a moment, attempting to find a bit of peace in the cold silence of the waiting room. Unfortunately, that peace just couldn't be found apparently. She nervously pawed at the carpet with a tire, a worried whine given every now and then. The tension in the room just wasn't helping her anxiety in any way.

When the doors opened, both she and Lightning jumped to their wheels. A lone doctor smiled sadly at the two in the doorway, a look of sympathy given that Raine didn't like one bit.

"How is he…?" Lightning asked, afraid of the answer they would get.

"… He's unconscious," the doctor explained softly. "The antivenin will take a while to come into effect. For now, he's still running a pretty high fever and he's having trouble breathing properly; clearly signs of envenomation from snakebite. We have him on a respirator and IV to ease the symptoms while we wait." He turned towards Lightning, "Speaking of which, did you see what kind of snake bit him?"

Lightning gazed up at the white ceiling for a moment, trying to recall every detail. "It was kind of dark… almost black…"

The doctor frowned in concern, "Sounds like a Southern Pacific to me…"

Raine felt sick. She knew that species was one of the deadliest in the US. She was starting to panic.

"But you can save him, right?!" she asked frantically, feeling tears well up in her eyes again.

The doctor sighed heavily, "Your father doesn't have a very high chance of survival. But we're doing everything we can for him. We've moved him to the ICU for close monitoring. You can see him once we stabilize his vitals."

They all fell silent for a moment while that sank in, Lightning giving a solemn nod.

"Thank you, doctor… you'll keep us posted?"

"Updates on the hour…" He replied before driving back out of the waiting room.

Raine leaned against Lightning and cried silently. "This can't be happening… not Doc… He doesn't deserve this… I don't know what I'd do if he left us."

Lightning sighed, "We just have to hope." For her sake, he smiled a little. "He's a tough old car… he can fight through this."

Raine just nodded sadly, trying not to lose faith in her father's survival…

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As the night wore on, the news came by the hour as promised. Not once did it improve, however. But it hadn't declined either.

Raine had tried to keep herself occupied by calling the residents, especially Sally to ask her to take her stead in the clinic while she waited.

But out in the waiting room, the cold air was solemn. Neither Raine nor Lightning wanted to talk during this stressful ordeal. Lightning tried to entertain himself by staring at the clock on the wall, watching the second hand revolve slowly around the numbers. Raine had curled up beside the racecar, attempting to calm down and at least get a few hour's worth of sleep. But her mind had already gone into a "what-if" mode, causing all of the negative scenarios to swirl in her head like a broken record…

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Inside the room in the intensive care ward, Doc was pretty quiet as he slept somewhat peacefully despite what he was going through. He shifted only slightly as he let out a groan as one of the monitors began to beep frantically.

The old car's mind was just as frantic; in his mind's eye. Doc moved through a terrifying dream. He fought a nest of rattlesnakes as they crawled across his hubcaps, trailing their rattles as they clacked slightly. The nest then resolved itself into one gigantic snake, moving towards him on a level with his face. It struck and he tried to yell out, but found himself speechless. He now lay under the rattler, with his eyes open to a dark sky. He cried out in agony as he felt the venom attack his systems like a wildfire. His entire frame shuddered violently before he collapsed on the ground, helpless to stop his fate. He slowly started to come out of his nightmare, returned to some amount of rationality by the sudden jolt of electricity that raced through his engine.

Nearby, one of the doctors gave a relieved sigh. "We pulled him out of it. Good work…" He glanced at the old Hudson, "You've still got a lot of livin' left to do, friend."

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Lightning fought to stay awake as the hours wore on. It was getting close to daybreak, and he couldn't concentrate on much outside of Doc's situation and how he was doing.

He sadly glanced at the Mustang beside him. Raine was now out like a light, leaning slightly against him, mumbling and twitching her tires in her sleep. He knew she was probably having a nightmare, but between that and seeing her actually resting through this ordeal, Lightning just couldn't bring himself to wake her up.

The doctor drove into the waiting room once more as dawn broke, explaining the current situation. The old Hudson Hornet was finally stable. They could see him…

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Asleep… he looked asleep…

That was probably the first thing that came to mind as Raine tried to keep herself from bursting into tears. She shuddered slightly from the sight of her beloved father hooked up to so many machines and looking like death had warmed over. "Chrysler he looks awful… I've never… Chrysler…" She swallowed hard, trying to convince herself that he was just asleep as she settled down next to him. She whimpered softly, tilting only slightly so that her hood rested against his side, letting her tears trickle onto the old Hudson. She spoke in a broken whisper as she trembled against his frame, trying to remember the safety and warmth that it once provided for her during hard times.

"Doc… please wake up… You don't deserve to go through this kind of pain… ever. You're the best father I've ever known in my life. You've always been there for me… you were the one who was more than happy to take me under your wing… I really don't know what I'd do if you left me. I know you can fight this… don't give up."

Her amber eyes glittered sadly as she nuzzled at his still side. "I love you Dad… wake up." She backed up quietly and was about to leave when she saw Doc stir from the corner of her eye.

She rushed back over as her heart leaped like a deer over a fence, "Doc…?"

Doc stirred again under the blankets with a groan and retched. The small Mustang quickly nudged a sick basin in front of him. He vomited with the agony of one who has nothing to emit, but must vomit still. When he finished he trembled slightly and sunk low on his shocks panting. Raine watched him quietly as he shifted uncomfortably with a groan. His blue eyes fluttered for a few seconds before he opened them halfway, enough for her to notice the wise light in them fade slightly. He turned his lethargic gaze towards Raine and smiled weakly.

Raine jumped to her tires and rushed to the old car's side, nuzzling his fender happily, "I thought I lost you…"

Doc chuckled quietly, "Ol' Death got to wait a while on me…he can't get rid of me that easily…" He nickered softly and nuzzled her back as he let the smaller car sob against him. He winced slightly when she accidentally rubbed up against the snakebite wound, but didn't say anything, not wanting her to get worked up about it. He nudged her fender gently to encourage Raine to lay down beside him, noticing how exhausted she looked.

Doc frowned in concern, "Sweetie… were you up all night?"

Raine shook her head, "Not really. I only got about three hours of sleep last night… I couldn't stop worrying about you."

Doc nudged her closer to his frame, "You just get some rest, sweetie… don't be getting your sick old father worried…"

A tenderness filled Raine that was half pain, half tenderness as she leaned against him. In his agony, her father was concerned for her. He just couldn't die, not Doc.

She felt her eyes fill with tears again as she looked up at him, "Doc… I'm sorry… I should have gone with you… I should've been out there." She cried again as she buried her face into his side.

The cobalt Hudson was quiet. He let her cry against him as he tried to comfort the young Mustang, "It's okay," He murmured quietly. "It's not your fault. Do you hear me? It isn't. There was nothing that you could do… Absolutely nothing. What you did… was the right thing to do." Doc insisted softly, his voice barely a whisper before the old car tensed as a coughing fit shook his frame. He forced a weak smile and lifted his front tire a bit. Raine instantly scooted closer to his side and leaned against him, a soft whimper given.

Raine had never seen her father so sick in her life… The old Hudson seemed so weak… So quiet and almost depressed…

She just didn't know what to say. Doc immediately noticed this and nuzzled her hood gently. Raine could've sworn she felt a teardrop splash onto her ebon hood like a warm rain. She turned her sad gaze towards him again before noticing the old car's eyes were sparkling with tears also.

"…Doc?"

He nudged her closer to him, "Raine… you have to stop putting all the blame on yourself. Please… it really hurts when I see you look at things that way…"

Raine felt her heart skip a beat. She felt her soul being yanked from her frame as she felt her oil run cold. She could easily feel the old Hudson's pain. It felt like her heart was being stabbed repeatedly by a thousand knives…

"Doc?" she whispered quietly, glancing up at the cobalt Hornet.

"…Hmm?"

"…Promise me…that you'll be okay…" She whispered sadly, gaining a raspy chuckle from Doc.

"I promise my little Raindrop…" He nuzzled her hood gently. "…I promise."

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Doc woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, about close to two in the morning. The remaining light had faded off; somewhat the only real light was coming from the hallway. In the corner Raine dozed quietly, the old magazine she had been reading still laying open in front of her. Doc smiled a bit, watching her sleep for a few moments before a sharp pain reminded him why he had woken up to begin with. Something hurt…

He swallowed hard, a bit short of breath for whatever reason and attempted to get on his tires; something he knew damn well that he shouldn't do, but he felt as if he simply just had to move… It started with a dull throb under his hood that radiated across his right side and down to his tires. In his half-asleep state, he was confused as well as dizzy. But as another sickening wave of nausea and pain hit him and an alarm from one of the monitors rang out in the room… He really should've seen that coming.

He closed his eyes again, a soft groan of pain given as he felt his engine begin to lock down on him.

The high-pitched alarms caused Raine to jolt awake almost immediately. She got to her tires for a moment, confused as to what was making all the noise. But in an instant though, she was moving again, rushing up to her father's side and giving him a nudge.

"Doc?" She questioned before quickly reaching a tire over to hit the panic button in the wall in case the nurses hadn't heard the alarms. That however was a futile effort, as a nurse was already rushing into the room before she even touched it.

Raine silently pulled back a bit as the nurse dashed to Doc's side. The sudden rush of activity both overwhelmed and frightened the young car. Raine had worked with Doc for a long time to know that in cases like this, it was absolutely necessary to step back. No matter how much she knew what was going on, she knew that she would only be in the way at this point. She knew that she needed to let the doctors do their jobs, which was probably the most difficult thing that she ever had to do. Tears welled up in her eyes as more nurses and another resident doctor rushed in, the alarms almost blaring out. Though it was the steady beep of a flat line pulse that pulled a sob from her.

"Miss, you're going to have to leave the room."

"But I can help!" She heard herself shouting through the shock, though the doctor's stern face proved for no argument. She was roughly pushed from the room as the head surgeon yelled a sharp "Clear!" and the telltale sound of a surge of electricity going through the old Hudson Hornet…

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The cold silence was oppressive… She hated it…every bit of it. Raine had been banished to the waiting room again for the past hour. For the first thirty minutes she had quietly sobbed furiously in the corner, the small car in somewhat of a state of shock. She had managed to pull herself together again enough to call Sheriff and let him know what was going on. Lightning had only just left a few hours ago, but within minutes both Sheriff and Lightning were driving through the double doors of the hospital. So for now, they all sat in solemn silence. The three of them… waiting for any news whatsoever.

Raine began passing time by watching the second hand of the clock on the wall slowly tick by the seconds, one by one… She had already lost count of how many times that hand passed the twelve…

Patterns had started to pick up. Every ten minutes on the mark, Sheriff would get up and go to the nurse's desk, demanding answers but coming back with none. Lightning would either shift or pace across the room or even cough every twenty minutes. It was amazing how one could pick up on those little things when it was certainly possible that their entire world just might be shattering around them.

For all anyone knew, Doc could've already been gone… maybe they were coding him. They knew that Doc could very well be suffering terribly… Raine knew too damn well that sometimes in the practice of medicine, the doctors could do every single thing to save a patient and it wouldn't make any difference. What if they had already worked on him for hours… only to lose him anyway?

Raine let out a choked sob as Sheriff parked beside her once again. The old patrol car didn't say anything, only offering a light nudge of comfort. She settled down between the two cars, silently going back to shifting her exhausted gaze between the clock and the double doors that led towards where Doc currently was…

It was another hour before the head surgeon silently pulled out, a heavy sigh muttered as he spotted them. He rolled over, a tired smile given, though it wasn't returned from any of the occupants.

"…How is he?" Raine asked quietly, though that only brought another heavy sigh from the doctor.

"For the moment… He's stable. For now at least. He's suffered engine failure. It completely locked down on him… Not unheard of for a car his age, but in this case it wasn't because of his lifestyle. The only thing that has saved him thus so far was that despite fatigue, Doctor Hudson is a very healthy and active car. This however, only happened simply because of the stress brought on from the envenomation."

Raine nodded slowly, eyes closing tightly. Engine failure… that could very well be a death sentence with his systems so weak from the venom… "Is he awake?"

"No… He won't be for a while. We've put him into a drug-induced coma. We feel that he has a better chance of survival if he is able to rest through this." The doctor explained carefully, gaining a slow nod from the black Mustang. It made sense…she knew that. But it was no less unnerving.

"…Can we see him…?"

"Not now… in the morning I will allow you to go in, but for now… We would like to keep him quiet."

Raine forced another nod, soft choked sob given once more. The doctor offered a weak smile of understanding. "He'll be alright." He reassured softly before heading back through the doors to check on his current patient…

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"Doc… Please wake up…"

Raine sat in total silence at the old car's bedside, quietly watching his sleeping form. A whole, solid three weeks had passed with absolutely no response whatsoever; A fact that had indeed worried her. Two weeks had passed slowly since the doctors attempted to bring him out of the coma they had induced. Unfortunately, Doc had remained stubbornly unconscious. Now every day that had passed without him waking up was just another step closer to a lasting coma. Something that very few cars came out of…

So far, Raine had only left his side when she needed to. The medical staff had given up on trying to chase her out of the room at the end of visiting hours. In the end, they only smiled and suggested she talk to the old Hudson; something that she could easily do. They encouraged her to talk to him… call his name, anything that might encourage him to wake up. Hell, they even suggested playing his favorite music around him.

For the past few days, she changed the routine frequently. Sometimes playing music or singing softly to him, sometimes talking… She even sometimes simply let the television run on his favorite shows. Now, she finally settled for pleading to him to open his eyes.

"Lightnin's still practicing…" She muttered after a time, a soft sigh given. "Sheriff is keeping an eye on him to keep up with it. So you won't have to restart his training when you're back home…" Raine hadn't really expected a response… Still, she could at least attempt to convince herself that he could hear her.

"Doc…" She whimpered out, tears falling down either side of her face. He was slipping into a dangerous state. He was coming into a state where the doctors would simply give up on him… They couldn't possibly do that… "Please Doc… open your eyes. I need you."

Raine sobbed uncontrollably and rest a tire against his. The staff had also told her to keep some form of physical contact when she spoke. Something that would let him know in some way that she was close to him.

"Doc… I can't lose you… I'm not that strong… I just can't do it." She whispered, a shaky breath given. "I love you… please wake up…"

At first, she almost missed it; the briefest twitch of the Hudson's tire against hers. She instantly drew her gaze to his face, attention fixed to his closed eyes. "Doc…?"

Nothing happened… "Come on, Doc… I know you can do it."

Still… nothing happened.

"Dad?" She whispered softly, so focused on his face that she didn't even notice the second twitch of his tire. She wasn't imagining things… She reached over with her free tire and hit the call button, not even bothering to take note of it from there.

"Open your eyes…." She pleaded quietly, barely taking any notice to the nurse behind her.

"What's wrong, dear?" She questioned, the old pick-up offering a quiet and understanding smile.

"He twitched…"

The nurse frowned a bit and moved to the monitor that kept track of the pulse from his fuel pump. "His pulse has gone up a bit… Try talking to him." She instructed, quickly hurrying out of the room.

"Come on, Doc… So many people miss you…" Raine muttered softly to him as the nurse came back with one of the doctors behind her. The doctor, a SUV looking vehicle, quietly studied the monitor for a few moments. Doc's tire gave another twitch, his pulse jumping just a bit.

"He's trying to wake up…" The doctor reported, causing a hopeful smile to slowly creep across Raine's face.

"Come on Doc…"

His tire gave another twitch… and for the first time in over a month, Doc finally opened his eyes. Raine smiled warmly, tears silently trailing across her hood as she gave her father a light nudge.

"Hey Doc… how are ya feelin?"

She didn't get a response, though she wasn't expecting one anyway. Doc kept his eyes open for a full minute, his gaze never wavering from Raine's face while the doctor checked him over. Then he was out like a light again. Still, Raine was happier than she had been in over a month. Movies placed an absolute misconception about coma patients into effect. No coma patient ever woke up, looked around and asked for something to drink…

Waking up from a coma was a slow recovery, but the first steps were the most important… For a few moments he had been awake… And that thought caused a wave of relief to wash over the black Mustang.

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"…You ready?"

Doc nodded a bit as Raine pulled up behind him, the older car getting to his tires and offering a smile. After two weeks of slow recovery, he was once again active… Or at least some form of it. He was frequently tired and at times he still hurt a bit, but he was going home… It didn't really matter anymore.

"Well, that's good. Mack's waiting outside for us. He's gonna drive us home."

Doc smiled and nodded once more, a light grunt given as he shifted into gear. "You know, I think the whole town has missed you." Raine commented, drawing a chuckle from the old Hudson Hornet as he silently signed the papers at the nurse's desk to sign himself out.

"I've missed them too… And I'll bet I'm way behind on work…"

"Don't even _say_ it." Raine scolded, a smile gracing her features. "You need a vacation- a long vacation. There's nothing too pressing going on that the rest of us can't handle."

"Raine, I was asleep for almost a month. I would say that I'm well rested." Doc commented with a laugh, gaining a scolding glare from Raine.

They left in comfortable silence as they boarded Mack's trailer before speaking again.

"It's good to have you back and goin' home, Doc." Raine offered, gaining another smile from her father.

They both stared out the window in silence. The drive back to Radiator Springs wasn't a long one; about a twenty-minute drive in which both cars were lost in their own thoughts. In retrospect, it was amazing that Doc had even made it to the hospital. It wasn't a long drive, but it was long enough for a good snakebite to come into effect. Just the very thought brought a slight shudder from Raine.

When Mack finally pulled to a stop, both vehicles slowly pulled off the ramp and stopped in the street in front of Doc's clinic. Doc, for a moment had a brief look of shock on his face, though Raine couldn't help but burst into laughter. The little town was absolutely silent. The streets were deserted. But a banner was hung across the front doors of the clinic that stated very simply: "Welcome Home Doc!"

"I think they missed you." Rained laughed, gaining a slight chuckle from the old Hudson. They went inside quietly, though upon opening the door, they were met with a chorus of cheers, the deserted streets rather suddenly explained. They couldn't be in the streets if every car in town was in Doc's office.

"Doc, we're so glad you're safe!" Flo yelled happily, the show car coming up alongside Doc to nuzzle against him. "You scared us half to death."

"Scared you? Try bein' on the biting end of that." Doc laughed, a light nudge given to Flo. She smiled and left his side, quickly replaced by Ramone and Sally.

"Hey, we missed you, man!" Ramone complained, gaining a nod of agreement from Sally.

Doc offered a warm smile, gaze cast downward for a moment, the thought that he could've very well not see his friends again crossing his mind.

"Thank you…" He offered, a chuckle given.

Raine smiled and silently backed up, watching the occupants of the town gather around their friend, all of them wanting to know how he was. Possibly even see with their own eyes that he was alright… She couldn't blame them.

He might have died… It was entirely possible that he could've very well not made it. Her imagination ran away with her a bit on that one. She could see herself in the same situation… Though this time without Doc. They wouldn't be here to welcome the old Hudson home… They would be here to comfort her…

She would be making funeral arrangements by now… Placing phone calls, finding any remainders of Doc's family to let them know… In a few days, they would be burying him…

Raine sobbed softly, and quickly backed away from the happy scene that could've been so easily a grim one. She glanced back for a moment before she slipped out the door unseen into the falling evening.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was getting cold… That thought barely worked its way through the Mustang's thoughts as she stared out across the desert. Night had fallen and at her quiet place on the edge of town, lacking the windbreaker of the buildings, it was getting relatively cold…

"Raindrop… you shouldn't be out here…"

She jumped a bit, turning to face Doc, quickly shaking her tears away. "Neither should you… You should be resting at home."

Doc nodded a bit and silently parked beside her. "Probably should… but I'm not."

Raine just nodded slowly, drawing a somewhat thoughtful gaze from the old Hornet. "You left relatively quickly…" That drew a heavy sigh from Raine. "Let my imagination run away with me…"

Doc nodded in understanding, regarding her for a moment. The heavy silence that seemed to say 'you can talk to me about it, or I could sit here and stare at you until you crack' This time, she caved in.

"I just thought… how easily it could've been the other way around. I mean… What if I had been coming home all alone tonight… What if that get-together was a lot more grim… I can't lose you."

Doc nodded slowly and quietly leaned into her side, a gentle nudge given. "But that's not what happened… I didn't die. Not when that rattler bit me… Not when I had engine failure… I'm alive. I'm gonna stay that way."

Raine forced a smile and nodded, a choked sob let out as she nuzzled against her father.

"Raine… look at me." She silently looked up at him, the older car offering her a reassuring smile that seemed to chase all her fears away.

"Whatever happens… Whatever may come… I am never going to leave you. I will always be right there beside you in one way or another. You don't have to be afraid of that, you know."

Raine sobbed and nodded, leaning into the old car again.

They both sat like that in a comforting silence for a few moments before Doc let his engine roar to life. "Come on, Raindrop… Everyone's gone home for the night, and its definitely too cold out here for us."

Raine looked up at him innocently, "Can we light a fire?"

Doc laughed heartily and offered a quick nod. "As if I would deny you somethin' like that." He commented, a smile crossing his face.

Raine only laughed, her headlights clicking on, careful to watch the ground; The snakes were moving to hibernate for the long winter…


End file.
